


Pet Smart, Rin Dumb

by Lord_Byron_Mudkippington



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:55:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27264598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington/pseuds/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington
Summary: Rin tries to impress Maki by showing off some tricks she taught Honoka's dog.
Relationships: Hoshizora Rin/Nishikino Maki
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	Pet Smart, Rin Dumb

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally a ficlet prompt I wrote back on 12/18/2015, and nearly five years later decided to expand into a slightly longer fic.

Rin had always been good with animals. She liked to hang around pets and play with them. Dogs in particular seemed to like her, and she'd happily pet strangers' dogs and tell them what good boys and girls they were. Cats were her spirit animal, even if she was allergic to them. She would inject pure Benadryl into her veins to let them walk over her and cuddle with her. Whenever someone would quip that she acted like an animal herself, she took it as a compliment. What was wrong with that? Animals were so much better than people! 

Well, they were better than _almost_ all people. Even animals couldn't be as good as Maki. The two of them had been friends since the beginning of their first year of high school, and Rin honestly had a lot of feelings for her. She could be rude and emotionally cold, but that was just how she acted around other people. Maki really wasn't that bad! She was super pretty and extremely smart, plus she was a great friend. Of course, sometimes she gave Rin a chop on the head and always shot down her super great plans, but she was still a great friend! It was just that not everybody took the time to get to know her and understand that she was a really sweet person. That was fine, though: more Maki for her!

With her burgeoning crush on Maki, she wanted to find more ways to spend time together. Luckily, it wasn't too hard to get Maki to join her when she wasn't too busy and the idea wasn't too 'outlandish' or 'dangerous'. It was the late afternoon on a crisp fall day, and she had gotten Maki to join her at the park. She had already agreed to take Honoka's dog for a walk, as Honoka wasn't feeling well,and Yukiho was too busy covering her shifts in the shop. Normally Kotori or Umi would be trusted with the task, but they were busy nursing Honoka back to health. Rin was more than happy to volunteer and take Maki along for the ride.

Of course, Maki was less than enthused, and she made sure Rin knew it with her body language. Still, she tagged along regardless, following Rin silently and keeping herself a decent distance from the dog. It made Rin giggle as she remembered just why Maki was being so hesitant. The first time their friend group was all at Honoka's house, the Kousaka family dog immediately made a beeline for Maki, pouncing on her and knocking her over. It had been hilarious, though Maki hadn't found it nearly as funny. She refused to get near the dog ever since.

As the three of them walked through the park, the leaves falling around them from the nearby trees, she got an idea. Maki was always impressing her with how talented she was. Her piano playing skills, her test scores, and her writing was all amazing. Sometimes it made her feel inadequate, but she knew that she had her own skills too. She wanted to impress Maki, and showing her how good she was with animals sounded pretty impressive.

"Hey, Maki, watch this!" The three of them stopped, with Rin turning to the dog with a big grin. He, in turned, stared up at her with a goofy smile. He really did take after his owner. Lately she'd been spending time at Honoka's house, practicing new tricks with the dog. She wanted to show Maki that she was talented and could make dogs do cool things. Plus, maybe she'd warm up to him more if she saw how sweet he really was. "Alright, check this out. Sit!" The dog stared up at her, still smiling. "Uh... Ehehe, sit!" Nothing. "C'mon, sit!"

"Nice trick," Maki cracked wryly, making Rin blush with embarrassment. She glared at the dog, who seemed to not understand that it was embarrassing her. After all the time they had spent learning these tricks, how could he betray her like this?!

"You're a trick," Rin muttered, squatting down so that she was at eye level with the canine. "Alright boy, shake!" She stuck out her hand for him to shake, but instead he licked her face. "Eee! No, shake! Shake!" She fell on her butt as he nearly climbed on top of her, trying to make sure every inch of her face was covered in slobber. Apparently he decided that today was the day he would make her look stupid, in front of Maki of all people. That wasn't very nice! 

Okay, there was still one final trick they could do. This one was sure to work, and Maki would be super impressed! "Okay, fine. That's how you wanna play?" She put her hand up right in front of him. "High five!" The two of them locked eyes, trying to bridge the language gap that divided them so she could communicate her commands. This was going to work. It _was_ going to work! He looked at her, barked, and sat down.

"Oh come on!" She fell on her back, stretching her legs and groaning in indignation. What a traitor! She was going to have a word with Honoka about her jerk of a dog. However, her indignation was halted by the sound of laughter. Looking up, her eyes widened when she saw Maki laughing, a smile very visible on her face. She kept staring, stunned, until Maki noticed and her lips contoured down into her normal, self-conscious frown.

"What are you looking at?" Maki crossed her arms and looked away, a noticeable blush on her cheeks. She was trying to hide the truth, but Rin wasn't fooled. There was no way she was going to forget that smile. It had been absolutely stunning: positively illuminating. Seeing a real Maki smile out in the wild was rare, and she was going to hold onto that memory for the rest of her life. No, she didn't know what overreacting was.

"Wow, have I entered an alternate universe or did you just really crack a smile for me?" 

"N-No! I mean... You just suck at dog training, that's all." Maki made a face at Rin, then moved next to her and got closer to the ground, putting her own hand up in front of the dog tentatively. Rin blinked in confusion, only to find herself rife with disbelief when that damn dog gave Maki a high five. She almost fell over again just from the shock.

"W-W-What?! How did you do that?!" She was right in Maki's face, unable to comprehend what had just happened. After all the training she had done to try and impress Maki, the dog had given _her_ a high five with barely any provocation. That wasn't fair! _She_ was supposed to be the cool, suave dog whisperer, not Maki!

"Personal space, Rin!" She pushed Rin back, which caused her to fall on her back again. Several leaves crunched beneath her, which was a perfect sound for her poor ego. Maki was then standing over her with a self-satisfied smile. "I guess you just need more training, huh?" She let those words hang in the air, unable to stop smirking as Rin groaned in defeat. "Now come on, get up. You're going to get bugs on yourself." Reluctantly, Rin stood back up, head hanging in defeat. She had been bested, taken down by her own hubris.

She squatted down to pick up his leash, scowling at him. "Bad dog." He barked at her in response. Sighing, she got back up and took the lead, pretending not to notice the smug look on Maki's face. Now she'd have to find a new way to impress her. Maybe she could get a parrot to sing Happy Birthday... Birds were easier to train than dogs, right?


End file.
